James Thomas Rook Jr.

TTH:
Never in the history of the world has the majority EVER been right ... the most they can hope for is consensus.
YOU CAN VOTE TO KEEP THE PEACE, AND HAVE "ORDER" .... BUT YOU  CAN NOT VOTE ON TRUTH.
...and JWI's posts DID wear me down ... but to the best I could tell, every word was true. 
The fault was MINE .. not his, that I do not have the patience anymore to be a scholar. 
To more or less quote Alex Guiness playing Dr. Zhivago's policeman brother as he was in the snow watching Dr. Zhivago tear apart someone's fence for firewood "My brother is a much better man than I am, but that does not bother me ... I have killed much better men than I am, with a small pistol.".  If you do not get the philosophy behind that statement .. it means some things are not important ... and some things ARE.
And as far as kids squabbling in the car back seat with  siblings and whining 'are we there yet? ... we are adults with legitimate concerns ...legitimate real world problems .... Hurricane Harvey immediately comes to mind ... and we are told if we do not shut up, Big "Brother" Dad is going to stop the car and throw us outside ... and anyone else with legitimate concerns and complaints that dares disagree with his authority will also have the same fate.
That is an excellent way to keep order, but it is by extortion ... when the siblings  recognize  there is NO process  for the redress of legitimate grievances that exists ... none whatsoever.
Big "Brother" Dad, as always, knows what is best ... to maintain his position.
So ... one adult is treated like a child, and expelled from the car, the other adult siblings are also treated like children, with nothing of value to say ...   and are threatened to be ALSO expelled if we do say it, and some are for that reason! ..... and the grievances  go unanswered.
And the roadside becomes littered with the bodies of legitimate complainers. Dad does stop to paint with a broad brush in white, on both sides of the car "Celestial Chariot", as he grew up in the 50's when men named their cars.
And besides ... he can always get MORE children. He knows that so very well.
In Russian State Orphanages they bind babies in cloth so they cannot move their arms, and when they cry they are ignored. After awhile... they stop crying, because no one ever comes to show them tenderness and love .... and their "Big Brother" sees this as a good thing, because when they grow up, they will make excellent, totally obedient citizens and soldiers. 
It will never occur to them that they are anything else but machines to serve the State.
Sound Familiar?
Here is the quote:
" I told myself it was beneath my dignity to arrest a man for pilfering firewood.
But nothing ordered by the Party is beneath the dignity of any man.
And the Party was right: one man desperate for a bit of fuel is pathetic; five million people desperate for fuel will destroy a city.  That was the first time I ever saw my brother.
But I knew him.
And I knew I would disobey the Party.
Perhaps it was the tie of blood between us, but I doubt it; we were only half-tied anyway, and brothers will betray a brother.
Indeed, as a policeman I would say get hold of a man's brother and you're half-way home.
Nor was it admiration for a better man than me.
I did admire him; but I didn't think he was a better man. Besides, I've executed better men than me with a small pistol. "
                            But nothing ordered by the Party is beneath the dignity of any man.
                                       But nothing ordered by the Party is beneath the dignity of any man.
                                                      But nothing ordered by the Party is beneath the dignity of any man.
                                                                             But nothing ordered by the Party is beneath the dignity of any man.
                                                                                          *
... and therein is where the crime lies.
.
 

This is SO TRUE .... especially in Toontown.
 
 

In order NOT to be labeled a liar and a slanderer, Alessandro Corona ... and justifiably so ... you are going to have to PROVE EVERY ASPECT of those statements you just made. 
YOU PERSONALLY ... not just waving your hand at a PDF file link.
I assume you did not just pull them out of your imagination.
Please supply enough detailed overview and references that your seemingly OUTRAGEOUS claims may be INDEPENDENTLY checked by the average, reasonable person.
If you do not ... and it WILL take some work .... your credibility is ZERO.
...by the way, I did read about 55 pages of that PDF, and concluded that it is the rantings of a man quite mad.

Actually, it was Charles Taze Russell ....in
the very FIRST issue of the Watchtower.
July 1, 1879 in the article "What is Truth?"
Here is the full text of the article ....
"WHAT IS TRUTH?" This question is one which every sincere Christian should ask and seek to answer. We should learn to love and value truth for its own sake; to respect and honor it by owning and acknowledging it wherever we find it and by whomsoever presented. A truth presented by Satan himself is just as true as a truth stated by God. Perhaps no class of people are more apt to overlook this fact than the Christian. How often do they in controversy overlook and ignore truth presented by their opponents. This is particularly the case when arguing with an infidel. They feel at perfect liberty to dispute everything he says on religious subjects. This is not the correct principle. Many infidels are honest— as anxious to speak and believe the truth as are Christians— and if in converse with them we ignore truths which they may advance, we not only fail to convince them of our truths, but put an end to all hope of reaching them; for our failure to admit the evident truth which they advance begets in them contempt for the one who is not honest enough to admit one truth because he does not see how it can be reconciled to another. Accept truth wherever you find it, no matter R9 : page 3 what it contradicts, and rely for ability to afterwards harmonize it with others upon "The Spirit of truth, which shall guide you into all truth," as Jesus promised. Truth, like a modest little flower in the wilderness of life, is surrounded and almost choked by the luxuriant growth of the weeds of error. If you would find it you must be ever on the lookout. If you would see its beauty you must brush aside the weeds of error and the brambles of bigotry. If you would possess it you must stoop to get it. Be not content with one flower of truth. Had one been sufficient there would have been no more. Gather ever, seek for more. Weave them together as a garland —"Bind them on thee as a bride doeth." "Bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: so shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man." Prov. 3:3. C. T. R. I believe that covers it ALL.
Oh ... and JW Insider ... thanks for the "setup".
 
.........

What about when an apostate upvotes a brother? Gulp

The source did NOT make those things any LESS true.
If your allegiance is to the TRUTH ... it is never mis-spent.

Hmmm kinda reminds you of all the JW elders and their secret sins.  I love how witnesses always ask for the indiscretions of their members and leaders to be overlooked but continually harp on or about any issue with Ex members.  The hypocrisy is palpable.

The source did NOT make those things any LESS true.
If your allegiance is to the TRUTH ... it is never mis-spent.

The source did NOT make those things any LESS true.
If your allegiance is to the TRUTH ... it is never mis-spent.

The source did NOT make those things any LESS true.
If your allegiance is to the TRUTH ... it is never mis-spent.

I doubt that any quantum computer in the foreseeable future will be able to jump an air gap of about six feet.
There is a quantum computer already with INCREDIBLE properties, made of meat (mostly fat), that has not yet managed telepathy.

If we can no longer kill our children ... can we chain them to the rafters in the attic?
I mean ... if we take them outside when they howl and wail, to "go potty"?

"Governing Body: Does it show loyalty or disloyalty to question the GB?"
Firstly, I ask, loyalty to what?  The organization or to God?
I think the better question is, do we show loyalty to God and Christ when tolerating wayward teachings by the GB?  If these men were faithful servants, they would welcome questions and suggestions from fellow anointed servants and adjust their own thinking by reasoning on the scriptures. This is the role of a steward; to gather from all sources. 
  Although they truly would love to called so, and hint at it frequently, they are not Moses. Instead of pointing to themselves as the source of the final word, they should be pointing to God. Acts 14:15; Luke 4:8; Rev 19:10 There is not just one rotten and discarded teaching from the mouths of the GB, there is a bushel of them.  Matt 12:33; Col 2:8
Are they above law of loving one’s neighbor as one’s self?  They certainly show it in the same way as the Pharisees. Matt 5:20; Mark 10:42-45; Phil 2:3; Rom 12:10; Eph 5:21
Even Jesus did not expect glory for himself. John 7:16,18; 17:4
We are judged on our love for purity in truth, not for following men.
 

Knowing the role of the Governing Body should help us to understand how to treat them. This was brought up in another thread, but it seems relevant here. In the first century, the order of authority was apostles then prophets (1 Cor 12:28). 
It seems to me that the prophets and apostles checked each other so that no one group became too powerful in the first century. They both had different but equally important roles to fulfill: the apostles took the lead over the congregation and the prophets were spiritual guides. 
The prophets were necessary to "fill in the gaps" of an incomplete Bible, but today we have a complete Bible. So, prophets are unnecessary. However, the GB asserts that Bible discernment is unsuccessful without their interpretations of it. In other words, the Bible alone is insufficient--we need the GB to "fill in the gaps." So, the GB acts likes the apostles by taking the lead and prophets by being exclusive interpreters of the Bible.
This premise seems flawed to me. The Bible should stand alone as a separate entity. It shouldn't be intertwined with the GB, because the Bible should act as an external auditor for the GB's actions. At present, by being "guardians of doctrine" the GB can make the Bible fit their method of operation. The Bible is not a rigid thing and this can be taken advantage of.
So while I respect the Governing Body for taking the lead, I feel that they have too much unchecked authority, and this could set a bad precedent for the future. The GB should be actively checked by the Bible and any student of the Bible.  
 
 

Thanks again for the direct question. I absolutely do believe in the authority of the Governing Body to interpret "Presence, Sign, Gentile Times, etc." And I also believe it is your responsibility, bruceq, to question it, the same way that the Galatians were expected to question the teachings about circumcision and law that were being promoted by James, Peter and John and others.

This is why I LIKE being a comedian on this forum ... no shortage of comedic "Straight Men".

And don't forget, 1914 was when Edgar Rice Burroughs published  his famous book "Tarzan of the Apes", which was such a magnificent piece of literature (seriously), that the little town North of Los Angeles, California where Burroughs lived was renamed Tarzana, California!

the Boreans were commended for questioning Paul. 

This is why I LIKE being a comedian on this forum ... no shortage of comedic "Straight Men".

And don't forget, 1914 was when Edgar Rice Burroughs published  his famous book "Tarzan of the Apes", which was such a magnificent piece of literature (seriously), that the little town North of Los Angeles, California where Burroughs lived was renamed Tarzana, California!

Very nice post TTH.
It really is sad when this becomes a media plug and headline story either for or against someone instead of an encouragement for people to act this way everyday.  I'm sure Mattress Mack would be happy with a simple thank you instead of a parade in his honor. We should all encourage each other to act accordingly, as decent human beings, do what is right and not what is easy. 

Wrong it's the JWs who are making a positive claim, they are ones who have to prove it. A claim like that ( Jesus coming invisiblely and selecting your organization as his religion and your leaders as his sole channel of communication) is not true until proven false it needs to be  proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. It can be disproven beyond any reasonable doubt but the onus is on the witnesses to prove their claim, as the saying goes "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence"

So you just haven't done the research?
the-gentile-times-reconsidered.pdf
nope, you claim it's true, you claim god chose them and it's his organization then you have the prove it plain and simple.
Bahahahahahahaha wait you think that's evidence. 

Just ban JTR and his graphics machine and you'll do fine.

I remember once when Jesus demonized some pork, but it was at their own request. (Demon's request, not the pork's.)
(Matthew 8:31) . . .So the demons began to plead with him, saying: “If you expel us, send us into the herd of swine.” But Jesus also gave some good dietary instructions for raising pigs. They evidently don't digest beads of calcium carbonate very well, or else perhaps it doesn't sit well with them and makes them violent.
(Matthew 7:6) . . .“Do not . . . throw your pearls before swine, so that they may never trample them under their feet and turn around and rip you open.